


You are the Reason

by bitsnbobs



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Emotions, Future Fic, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Prison, Spoilers, brief non-explicite mention of suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9875864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsnbobs/pseuds/bitsnbobs
Summary: Robert's gone missing after Aaron gets sent down. Cain finds him.





	

“Cain!” Charity exclaimed as the man entered the bar, “Have you seen Robert?”

Cain frowned as he took a spot at the bar, “Not since this afternoon, no.”

Charity’s face dropped and Cain furrowed his brow, “What’s up?”

“They’re all out looking for him,” Charity told him, “He made sure Liv was in bed and then he took off.”

“Probably just gone to clear his head,” Cain shrugged, taking a seat, “I’ll have a pint.”

“Cain,” Charity gritted, “This is serious, ok?”

“What? I doubt he’d do something-"

“What, stupid? Cain, this is Robert Sugden, ok? A Robert Sugden who has just had to watch his husband get sent down,” Charity hissed across the bar.

Cain ran a hand down his face, “They’ll find him. He can’t have gone far.”

“I mean, I feel sick,” Charity admitted quietly, looking into the distance, “Aaron is- well, its our Aaron, innit?”

“Yeah,” Cain gulped. He and Charity shared a look and then he slid off his stool, “I’ll go and check round the garage, alright? Doubt he’ll be there but-“

“It’s something,” Charity nodded gratefully.

...

Cain buried his hands into his jacket as he rounded the corner to the garage. Truth be told, he hadn’t wanted to really think about his nephew in prison. Not after last time. Charity has done it though; made him go there. If nothing else, he could catch up on a bit of paperwork in the garage to try and take his mind off things. 

He got out his key and put it in the small door only to find it was open. 

“Hello?” he called out. There was no response except for a sniff. He went through the door and found its source, “You’ve got a search party out for you, you know?”

No answer. Cain took a few more steps inside. Robert was leaning on a car bonnet, shoulders slumped, facing away from him. 

“You have to face it at some point,” Cain sighed.

That did it. Robert turned with a sharp look, “Just go, Cain.”

“Not going to happen,” Cain told him, taking another step closer.

Robert shifted under his gaze, trying to keep it together but failing, “I told him that he would never be alone again.”

“Ok,” Cain said, merely to let the younger man know he was listening. 

“I put the ring down on the table and I walked away from him,” Robert’s voice broke, “It’s my fault.”

Cain had no idea what Robert was referring to but he fought the urge to roll his eyes; it is not that he was heartless but it was that Robert was so predictable. 

“Look, assigning blame and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to help,” Cain stated firmly, “It’s not like it’s the first time Aaron’s used his fists.”

Robert scoffed, “You use your fists all the damn time.”

Cain grimaced at the truth, “I know. I guess our Aaron is-"

“What, unlucky?” Robert glared at him, “Unlucky doesn’t even cover it.”

They both let that truth sit in the air between them. Heavy with all of the pain they knew it involved. 

“I’d say he was pretty lucky now,” Cain said, after a moment. 

Robert blinked at him in confusion, “You what?”

Cain looked away briefly, uncomfortable at what he was about to say, “He isn’t alone. He’s got you.”

“But I’m not with him.”

“But you are,” Cain faced him directly now, tapping the side of his own head meaningfully, “You have given Aaron a reason to get through this, Sugden.” He thought back to that difficult day in the visiting room when Aaron’s future had been uncertain and the fear was palpable, “Its long but he knows that it will come to an end this time and you’ll be there for him. You will keep him going.”

Robert just stared at him, eyes brimming with tears, and then bobbed his head, “We can’t even be husbands.”

Cain narrowed his eyes, “You got married, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Robert nodded then he smiled and laughed sadly, “In here, actually.”

“In here?” Cain wrinkled his nose, looking around at his far from romantic workplace.

“It holds…significance.”

“I don’t want to know, do I?” 

Robert smirked and raised his brow, “Probably not.”

Cain shook his head, “So…you are husbands.”

“Not in that visiting room, we won’t be,” Robert explained, lowering his eyes.

“Ah,” Cain understood now. He bit his lip and pushed his hands into his pockets, suddenly at a loss of what to say.

“Too much risk,” Robert took a slow shaky breath.

“Yeah,” Cain agreed, knowing how hostile a prison environment could be. He found he had to gulp back a rise of emotion from his chest. He was stood in the building that he had to drag Aaron out of because he hated being gay but then just yesterday, he’d watched that very same lad proudly get wed to the young man opposite him. Now, they would both have to hide again. Cain couldn’t imagine what that would feel like. 

“How do I do this, Cain?” Robert’s small voice cut through Cain’s thoughts and the older man considered his options, eventually deciding to pull the younger man in and let him rest his head on his shoulder. Perhaps Kyle was bringing out a more fatherly side to him. Or perhaps that was Aaron.

When he could feel Robert’s breathing even out, he pushed him back up, “Now, look here, Sugden. You didn’t drink out of that welly for nothing. You have a whole clan behind you now.”

Robert bit his lip and nodded, “Yeah.”

Cain shoved his shoulder, “And our Aaron wouldn’t pick just any bloke, alright?”

That seemed to have an effect as Robert’s eyes seemed to gain a spark that previously wasn’t there. 

“He’s never had this before,” he whispered, “He’s not going to lose it now.”

Cain quirked his brow but Robert shook his head. In fact, he shook what appeared to be his whole mind-set as he stood a little taller.

“Search party over then?” Cain asked, gesturing to the door.

“Yeah,” Robert nodded, a determined look taking over his face, “Yeah, I have to do this. For him.”

“Too right,” Cain stated, the hint of a smile on his lips, “You said ‘always,’ Sugden, you better mean it.”

Robert froze at the fact that Cain had remembered but then he smiled, “Never been more sure of anything.”

“Good,” Cain said, stepping back so Robert could get passed. The younger man started walking to the door but turned when he reached it,

“Thanks, you know, for-"

“Don’t mention it,” Cain told him, “You be there for our Aaron and we’ll be there for you.”

Robert blinked back tears again as he ducked through the door. Cain watched him leave and then closed his eyes. 

He prayed Aaron would be ok.

…


End file.
